Revelations 12:7-12ab
War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them."
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for those who will be going into surgery over the next few days, and for the doctors who will be working on them.
"Bury the Dead"
How the heck can you tie together "burying the dead" with the "Feast of the Archangels?"
That's a good question.
I'm sure you've seen the image of St. Michael with his shield and his sword. We all know the story of St. Gabriel speaking to Mary. Some know about the St. Raphael traveling with Tobiah on his travels as he met his future wife and attained his inheritance. In the Bible, The Archangels have taken the form of humans, but we have no idea about what they look like.
We do know that they were made to praise God, in the same way we are made to praise God. One day, we will no longer be in our human frames, for we will be in hell (don't want to think about that), purgatory (being purified), or heaven (where we will be doing what we have been made for).
The dead bodies left behind are a reminder of our sinfulness and God's goodness.
That's about as good as I can get at trying to tie the two themes together. Take care and God Bless.
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